Current Projects / Research
Interests:
My research interests and experiences are broad and include descriptive
ecology, autecology (broadly defined to include physiological ecology,
biophysical ecology, animal behavior, and population biology), evolutionary
biology, theoretical ecology, organismal biology, and conservation
biology. Some of my research interests include: Proximate and ultimate
interactions between organisms and their environments. The ecological
importance of Grinnellian Niches in organisms, and the autecological
function of these niche relationships in determining distribution,
dispersion, dispersal, and population fluctuations. Conservation
Biology: the ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles
(especially sensitive species such as desert tortoise and western
toads); the biology, ecology, and conservation of deserts; and paleobiology
and extinction process.
Selected Publications:
Tracy C.R., K. E. Nussear, T. C. Esque, K. Dean-Bradley,
C. R. Tracy, L. A. DeFalco, K. T. Castle, L. C. Zimmerman, R. E.
Espinoza, and A. M. Barber. 2006. The importance of physiological
ecology in conservation biology. Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Integrative and Comparative Biology, pp. 1-15. doi:10.1093/icb/icl054.
This is an Open Access article (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/)
which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly
cited.
Tracy, C.R., Christian, K.A., Reynolds, S.J., McArthur,
L., Tracy, C.R. 2006 Ecology of aestivation in an Australian frog,
Cyclorana australis (Hylidae). Copeia (in press).
Christian, K. A., Tracy, C.R., Tracy, C.R. 2006.
Evaluating thermoregulation in reptiles: an appropriate null model.
The American Naturalist 168(3): electronic journal article.
Nussear, K.E. and C. R. Tracy. 2006. Can modeling
of desert tortoise activity improve estimation of population densities.
Ecological Applications 17(2): 579-586.
Espinoza, R.E., J.J. Wiens, and C.R. Tracy. 2004.
Novel ecophysiological adaptations promote multiple origins of herbivory
in a group of South American lizards. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Science. 101(48): 16819-16824
Simandle, E.T., R.E. Espinoza, K.E. Nussear, and C.R. Tracy.
2001. Lizards, lipids, and dietary links to animal function.
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 74(5): 625-640.
Tartowski, S.L., E.B. Allen, N.E. Barrett, A.R. Berkowitz, R.K.
Colwell, P.M. Groffman, J. Harte, H.P. Possingham, C.M. Pringle,
D.L. Strayer, and C.R. Tracy. 1996. Toward a resolution
of conflicting paradigms. In: The Ecological Basis of Conservation:
Heterogeneity, Ecosystems, and Biodiversity, S.T.A. Pickett, R.S.
Ostfield, M. Shachak, and G.E. Likens (Eds.), Chapman & Hall, NY.
Tracy, C.R. and T.L. George. 1992. On the determinants
of extinction. American Naturalist 139(1): 102 122.
Tracy, C.R., J.S. Turner, and R.B. Huey. 1986.
A biophysical analysis of possible thermoregulatory adaptations
in pelycosaurs. Pp. 195-205 In: Ecology and Biology of Mammal-Like
Reptiles, P.D. MacLean, J.J. Roth, E.C. Roth, and N. Hotton (Eds.),
Smithsonian Press, Washington, DC.
Tracy, C.R. 1982. Biophysical modelling in reptilian
physiology and ecology. In: Biology of the Reptilia, C. Gans and
F.H. Pough (Eds.), Academic Press, London, Volume 12, pp 275-321.
Tracy, C.R. 1977. Minimum size of mammalian homeotherms:
The role of the thermal environment. Science 198: 1034-1035.
Tracy, C.R. 1976. A model of the dynamic exchanges
of water and energy between a terrestrial amphibian and its environment.
Ecological Monographs 46(3): 293-326.
Additional Links:
Biodiversity at UNR
Ecology,
Evolution, and Conservation Biology Program
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